Miyama Nishiki 美山錦

Miyama Nishiki Sake Rice – 美山錦

Sake made with Miyama Nishiki tends to have a ricey, grainy profile with muted aromatics, and often a mild sweetness. The rice-like, textured profile can be attributed somewhat to the grain’s moderate (for sakamai) shinkpaku levels.

Miyama Nishiki 美山錦 is a very popular sakamai– especially in cool northern Japan (Tohoku 東北地方). Commonly associated with Nagano, this sake grain is also grown in Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, and elsewhere. It falls behind only Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku in annual production volume.

This strain results from a crossing of Hokuriku 12 and a variation of Norin 17. With stalks around three feet tall plus moderate-sized grains, Miyama Nishiki is relatively resistant to wind. Its grains are roughly 50% shinpaku and contain a moderate amount of protein.

Popular Sake Brewed with Miyamanishiki 美山錦

Miyasaka Yawaraka “Sake Matinee” Junmai	Otokoyama “Man’s Mountain” Tokubetsu Junmai
Hatsumago “First Grandchild” Junmai Kimoto